Tips

Being a property owner is much more than owning an apartment and making it available to guests. There are many details to be taken care of, which we sometimes fail to address. We don’t need to be experts in the field but it helps to be aware of some basic guidelines so we don’t make certain mistakes that could potentially be fatal. Here are some of the mistakes we should avoid at all costs: Not compare ourselves with our competitors One of the first essential steps in any business venture is to know your competitors: what they offer, how they offer it, and for how much. It is always helpful to have a look at some of the apartments available in our same city, and try to be as competitive as possible, not just when it comes to quality but also to pricing. Low quality images arranged in no logical sequence We already knew this but our recent poll confirmed it: our image gallery is one of the main features in our apartment’s profile. This is undoubtedly, one of the main factors influencing the traveler’s decision to stay with us. And as such, it is worthwhile to invest some time and effort into getting high quality pictures that seduce the viewer. But that is not all, in this case, the order of the factors does alter the product, and so it doesn’t have quite the same effect to see a stunning living room or terrace, than to be confronted with an average toilet upon first glance. Our advice is to leave any pictures of the bathroom, and the more...

Competition in the rental world is tough so you want your apartment to stand out from the others on the block. Do you have a park view or a glimpse of the city lights? Maybe or maybe not, but you can still decorate to make your rental feel more comfortable and stylish for short-term renters. They may even recommend you afterward! Use some of these tips to wow them the moment the door swings open. Accent with Strategic Rugs Do you like this apartment? Find it here. You can’t possibly replace the carpet each time a short-term renter moves in or out. Whether the carpet is older or the hardwood just needs protection, add rugs to the floor throughout the apartment. Because most apartments are relatively small, you won’t need a lot of material. Use a mixture of styles to accent each room. Even keep a small rug supply at home to swap out when tenants move in or out. The apartment can look different each time the lease is up. A New Coat of Paint Does the Trick Do you like this apartment? Find it here Sure, you may not be Picasso, but a new paint job works wonders on an older apartment. Even if the couch is five years old, the paint makes it look newer than before. Try a solid color and add some abstract layers, just like in this image. Or try a sponge project on a solid color to add some personality to the space. You can’t possibly paint after each tenant, but shoot for a yearly paint party to keep the...

Although it seems that vacations are meant to disconnect people from their current surroundings , the reality is that few people have this opportunity 100% of the time. Rather than simply wanting the internet, many travelers, today, often NEED the internet during their vacations. But what is “many travelers?” Here you have the numbers. At Only-apartments, we have counted the number of clicks that are obtained through each filter on our website: The result is respresented in the following graph and demonstrates the importance of having internet in your apartment. As you see, of all the clicks that we receive through filtering, 25% is responsible for internet. Therefore, if you do not have internet, it is very possible that your apartment is automatically disregarded. Due to seasonality, terraces and air conditioning have also been highly sought after. This data has been taken from all the searches done in the months of March and April 2014, when travellers are searching for apartments for summer vacation. ...

The terrace, views, location, decorations… these are many strong points of your apartment, however the kitchen remains, without a doubt, an important place. A well equipped kitchen will allow guests to save on costly dinners at restaurants and take full advantage of the apartment. We have interviewed Mario Bussi, who has dedicated his life to restoration. Today Mario is the proud owner of a loft in the birthplace of the Renaissance: Florence, Tuscany. Tell us something about you… How did you begin your experience with Only-Apartments? I was first approached by some friends of mine that had been working with Only- Apartments. They were the ones that were able to convince me. They thought that an apartment so particular as mine would have great success. And so it was… I am very happy with the result and above all the success I have had with people from around the world. We have seen that your apartment LOFT BOBOLI has a very interesting kitchen that seems to hide a particular history. Do you want to share with us? Of course, I would be happy to… it all began when I was a young man fascinated with the world of restoration. Little by little I began managing various restaurants in Italy, until I arrived in Florence. I fell in love with the city, stayed here and opened a restaurant in the city center. My life has always been in the kitchen; the restaurant was my home during the decades, a second home. And so when that chapter of my life closed, I decided to take a piece of my history and...

Advertising has changed a lot in recent years. Not only with the changes in the channels of distribution, but also the content that has been offered to the final consumer. It is no longer about persuading counting the characteristics of the product. Now brands need to get to the heart of the consumer. How is this done? It should tell a story. A story that gets you hooked. A story that you fall in love with. If we take a look, the videos that have gone viral are of the brands that explain something with emotion, that connect to the emotional side of the consumer. How does this affect you? Maybe you don’t know it, but you are also a brand. Your apartment page, is your personal webpage. When a user lands on your page, he will look at the photos, look at the price, the equipment, and the location. These are the rational characteristics of your apartment, and if everything is convincing, they will then read the description you have written. And this description can be something that is read in passing (as it does not bring any added value), or can ultimately become the final trigger for booking, the moment in which they fall madly in love with your apartment. Thus, apart from highlighting the characteristics of your apartment, try to provoke some type of emotion within the traveler, something that makes them wish to be there… and nowhere else. When you are in the process of making the decision… Every detail...

At Only-apartments, our goal is to offer the best products in the market to our clients. To make all this possible, all our apartments pass through a quality control process before being published. Here, all the information is reviewed and correct if necessary. Therefore, once you have registered your apartment does not appear online immediately. How to publish my apartment? 1. Create an account directly through our webpage: http://www.only-apartments.com/en/owners/ 2. Activate your account by clicking on the link you will receive in your confirmation email. 3. Once you have activated your account, you will be able to access the extranet and start filling in the different sections. 4. Once you have filled in the different sections, every one of them will be checked in green and you will see your progress bar at 99%. 5. To complete your registering, and have your progress bar at a 100% go to the “Publish” tab. You will find this section when entering in “Contact person” and clicking on “Next”. 6. In this section you will have to drag the button to the “On” position. Your apartment will not be published automatically; it will be passed through the revision process to assure all the information is accurate. One of our assistants well then call and go through the information with you. 7. When we are sure that all the information is correct, your apartment will be published and appear in the Only-apartments web...

At Only-apartments we reward Property Owners who do not overbook their apartment by placing them in better positions in our search results. Since most overbookings are due to a lack of maintaining a synchronized calendar, in this post we want to talk to you about what we can offer (for now!) To help you better manage your availability: Synchronization with iCal and Kigo. To synchronize your calendar, you must follow 3 steps: 1. Export your calendar 2. Link your calendar with ours 3. Activate your synchronization 1. How do I export my calendar? ICAL You can directly import your calendar from another booking system (Airbnb , Homeaway, 9flats, HolidayLettings…) or simply import the link to your Google calendar. IMPORTANT: Your Google calendar must be public You must mark the dates you want to block as “Reserved” The URL you enter must be in ICAL (not XML or HTML) format KIGO You can synchronize your Only-apartments reservation calendar by using the code associated with your Kigo account. IMPORTANT: You must send a request via Kigo Your properties will be shared with us The status of your property must be marked as “Instant Booking” (We remind you that here at Only-apartments we work exclusively with direct bookings) 2. How do I link my calendar with the calendar on my Only-apartments account? Once you have your link, find the “Google” icon (located on the top left-hand of your screen) under the “Availability and Prices” tab. To add your link, you must click on “Link.” Once the link is entered, you must click “Save”. 2. How do I activate the sync? Once your...

This month at Only-apartments we have interviewed Maurizio, a property owner of two apartments with fabulous terraces in the most intriguing and amazing city: Rome. We wanted to know his secrets on how he keeps attracting Take a look at Mauricio’s terrace: http://www.only-apartments.en/en/intranet/UNIQUETERRACE_45842 http://www.only-apartments.en/en/intranet/COLOSSEOTOPFL_25475 Don’t forget these other spectacular terraces! Get inspired! Volcán Rural Apartment: http://www.only-apartments.com/en/haria/VOLCaNRURAL_27888/ Small Paradise Apartment: http://www.only-apartments.com/en/cefalu/SMALLPARADISE_33943/ Penthousevicen Apartment:...

FAQ’s

I want to publish my property in Only-apartments. What are the conditions?

Working with Only-apartments has no cost for the property owner. Our commission is always added to the price that you indicate for your property. Besides, you do not have to be exclusively working with our company: you will have a calendar where you will manage the availability of your property.

You must know that we do not work“on request” (by demand) and for this reason it is vital to always maintain the calendar updated, as reservations are direct reservations and you should accept them all: at the moment you start to advertise your property in Only-apartments you should maintain your calendar and prices updated and block any dates that are not available (if you use other calendars or Channel Manager, we provide the tools to synchronize the calendar you use to our calendar).

We normally receive reservations for short-term stays (days or weeks), rarely for a month, therefore it takes one person to take care of the check-ins and cleanings. We do not offer these services, but depending on the town perhaps we can refer you to another company or person to do so.

If you are interested in publishing your property in Only-apartments, please access the page for property owners and create a new account to be able to enlist your property. If you have any doubts about the conditions for cooperation, you can write us at property@only-apartments.com.

Do I have to accept all reservations of Only-apartments?

Yes. In Only-apartments we work with a system of direct bookings, with no requests. We do it like this because with the years of experience we have found it beneficial for the customer (who does not have to make a request to obtain a property) and the property owner (who avoids exchanging emails and knows that when he or she receives a reservation, it is confirmed). This way, we avoid frustrations on both sides.

This system is very beneficial for everyone. But we have noticed that the most important complaint from our customers comes precisely when they make a reservation that has been subsequently canceled by the property owner. A cancellation has a huge management and reputational cost.

What happens if I do not accept a reservation?

As property owner in Only-apartments, you can’t cancel any reservations. In case you decided not to accept a reservation from Only-apartments, you should immediately get in contact with us sending an email at info@only-apartments.com or calling by telephone. In any case, you must not get in contact with the customer. These are the consequences of not accepting a reservation (also specified in ourOverbookings policy):

Once an owner advises us that they are not accepting the booking, Only-apartments will temporarily remove their apartment/s and will look for alternative accommodation for the client. The owner must pay 100 Euros to cover the cost of administration, by providing us with his or her card details.

If the owner helps Only-apartments to find alternative accommodation for the client and they accept it, the amount to pay will be 50 Euros only. However, if the client does not accept any of the alternatives suggested, the full 100 Euros will be payable by the owner, and Only-apartments will refund the reservation fee to the client

If the owner gets in touch with the client and not with Only-apartments, he or she will be in breach of this policy and will face a penalty of 100 Euros.

In any case, not accepting a reservation will result in the owners’ apartments being penalized in terms of their position in Only-apartments’ search results, whereas regularly updating the calendar will result in them being rewarded

When the owner has paid the corresponding fee, Only-apartments will publish their apartment once more

In the event of not accepting a reservation or cancelling a booking a second time, Only-apartmentsreserves the right to remove an apartment indefinitely and all those associated with the owner. If the reason for not accepting a reservation is due to major incident, and evidence is provided of this (building works, fire, etc.), Only-apartments will review the case carefully and the owner may be exempt from any penalty. Only-apartments reserves the right to terminate its association with an owner at any time, requiring in any case that any pending bookings are fulfilled.

I need to modify the information of my property

What does the rent amount include?

The rent amount, in other words the total amount that the client needs to pay directly to the owner, needs to include the VAT, if applicable. This means that this tax cannot be charged separately should the client ask for an invoice.

In the event that there are other taxes or expenses that apply (e.g. the tourist tax or supplies), these must be specified in the conditions of the apartment. Otherwise, they cannot be charged to the client.